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A bricklayer taunted by his running mates for turning vegan has proved them wrong by pounding the pavements every day for more than a year.
Dean Evans, from Thanet, faced jibes from a few members of his former running club who believed his performance levels would dip on a plant-based diet.
But in a bid to disprove their claims he decided to run for 47 days straight ahead of a half-marathon.
After smashing his target time in the race, he decided to carry on with his daily challenge and is still going strong, covering 1,542 miles across 374 consecutive days.
He says whatever the weather or time he’ll be out there, and admits to often squeezing in runs just before midnight.
The determined dad-of-one even managed to keep it up when his mother became ill and sadly died months later, although he says he dropped down to a mile a day for a while.
“It all started after a couple of members of my running club slated me when I went vegan, giving me grief, saying I wasn’t going to be able to run well,” the 39-year-old says.
“I wanted to prove them wrong, to show you don’t need to eat meat and all that protein.
"I was due to do the Big Half Marathon so I started running every day and I just kept going.”
Dean, who lives in Westgate, says he became vegan overnight with wife Jodie two-and-a-half years ago after watching documentaries including Earthlings and What the Health on Netflix.
He had previously eaten meat every day for his whole life.
“We did it for health reasons and I’ve found it quite easy,” he said.
“I don’t know whether it’s the plant-based diet, but I don’t get ill as much now and if I do I get over it quickly.”
He says his running performances have also significantly improved.
“Since becoming vegan I have beaten my personal bests in 5k,10k and the half-marathon,” he said.
“My recovery time is faster, I have less inflammation and more energy to fuel the runs.
“The Game Changers documentary on Netflix explains how switching to a diet centered around plants can yield significant performance advantages by increasing blood flow, making muscles more efficient, and speeding recovery by lowering inflammation.”
Dean, who twice a week runs with Thanet Vegan Runners, which he set up last year as part of the national group Vegan Runners, says running helped clear his head when his mother died, although he admits he almost quit during what he describes as his toughest time.
"I wanted to prove them wrong, to show you don’t need to eat meat and all that protein..."
“There are days where I haven’t wanted to lace up my shoes and get out the door, but looking at the bigger picture has spurred me on,” he says.
“Some days I put it off until the very last minute with [running app] Strava recording my run at 11.59pm.”
Mr Evans is raising money for Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, which is owned by British distance runner Fiona Oakes.
“She won both the Antarctic Ice Marathon and the North Pole Marathon, as well as competing in the Marathon Des Sables, a 250km race through the Sahara Desert,” he explains.
“To make these feats even more impressive there was a time in Fiona's life when she was going to be registered as disabled, having only one kneecap.”
